Back to School Tips for Kids With Asthma and Allergies

It’s August, and the first day of school will be here before you know it. You want your child to thrive at school instead of spending the day coughing, sneezing, and feeling miserable because of allergies or asthma. 

Both conditions can interfere with your child’s ability to learn. It’s hard to pay attention in class with itchy, watery eyes, painful sinuses, or difficulty breathing.

Our board-certified family medicine physicians with Hibari Family Medical in Edgewater, New Jersey, help relieve your child of allergy and asthma symptoms that can disrupt your child’s availability for learning. Check out these strategies to support your child and keep their allergy or asthma under control.

Enlist school support

Your child’s teacher and school nurse are their support team during the school day. Speak to both of them, if possible, during the administrative period before classes begin. Explain your child’s allergy symptoms and ensure a plan is in place if your child has a severe asthma or allergy attack or anaphylaxis.

If your child’s school doesn’t have air conditioning, ask them to seat your child away from windows and close the windows if lawn mowing occurs during school hours.

On high pollen days, you may want your child’s recess to be indoors. You can ask the staff to make accommodations. It’s likely that your loved one won’t be the only allergy sufferer.

Medication

Ask about the rules for your child carrying their medication with them. The administration can make an exception for your loved one’s asthma inhaler or EpiPen.

Find out your school’s policies so your child can self-administer an inhaler or EpiPen when they feel it’s necessary. Waiting for a nurse to give them their inhaler could make your child miss their treatment window and cause a severe reaction. 

Educate your child

Talk with your child about their asthma or allergies and explain in simple language why it’s important to take their medication. Teach your child to recognize triggers for their allergies or asthma so they can take action to avoid a flare-up.  Remind them to sit farther away from the chalkboard (and to remind their teachers that they should) and to wash their hands often.

Explain to your child’s teacher that your loved one may need to go to the nurse’s office if they feel an attack is imminent. Make sure your child has a medical ID bracelet that identifies your child’s condition so time isn’t wasted finding a file in the office.

Take precautions against triggers

If your child is allergic to foods or insect bites, make sure your child avoids triggers for them since they can cause serious reactions. 

If your child has food allergies, you already pack their lunch with napkins, plates, and reusable cups and utensils. Many schools have special tables and classrooms that exclude any common food allergy triggers, such as peanuts. Ask the staff what protections they have in place in the cafeteria for children with allergies.

Make sure the school nurse knows about all of your child’s allergies or asthma and give the nurse’s office an EpiPen if your child is too young to administer the injection themselves.

Taking proactive steps and working with the school can spare your child a serious allergic reaction or an asthma attack. For help with your child’s allergies or asthma, call Hibari Family Medical or book an appointment online today.